Cancelled Events in Japan 2020

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been causing temporary closure and cancellation/postpone at numbers of facilities and events across the world in 2020. For example, the biggest global sports event, the 2020 summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo are postponed to next summer, and there are many more highly anticipated events and festivals in Japan are being cancelled and postponed this year.

In this article, I’m sharing the list of the events and festivals in Japan in 2020 which cancellations and postponements are confirmed so far. If you were planning to participate events or festivals in Japan this year, see if the events are still on, cancelled or postponed.

Note: The information might change according to the daily situation, so please check the latest information on their official websites before visiting.

-April

Cherry Blossom Festivals

Most of the cherry blossom events in Japan this year were cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak including ones at Meguro River, Ueno Park and Hirosaki Castle.

See the full list of cherry blossom festival cancellations in Japan in 2020 Spring:

Fuji Shibazakura Festival

Nemophila Harmony

Nemophila Harmony is annually held at Hitachi Seaside Park, featuring 4.5 million baby blue eyes. However, the park is closed temporarily due to Coronavirus in 2020.

Great Wisteria Festival

Ashikaga Flower Park’s popular flower festival, the Great Wisteria Festival is cancelled this year in order to prevent the further spread of Coronavirus

Kawachi Wisteria Garden

Kawachi Wisteria Garden is open only for certain period of the year for wisteria viewing, however, the garden is closed this year and ticket refund is available for those who purchased pre-order tickets.

-May

Niku Fes 2020

A popular food festival, Niku Fes 2020 (the meat festival) was scheduled to be held in Tokyo and Osaka during the Golden Week period, however it’s been cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Makuhari Beach Fireworks Festival 2020

Makuhari Beach Fireworks Festival 2020 (幕張ビーチ花火フェスタ2020) is one of the biggest fireworks events in Japan, featuring approx 23,000 fireworks launching. The event on 2 May has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus.

Hakata Dontaku

Hakata Dontaku (博多どんたく) is one of the biggest festivals in Kyushu Region, which is held annually on 3 and 4 May and features a massive street parade. The 59th event is cancelled in 2020, which is the first time in the history.

Cambodia Festival 2020

Cambodia Festival (カンボジアフェスティバル) on 3 and 4 May 2020 has been postponed this year, and the new date will be announced once it’s confirmed.

Thai Festival 2020

Thai Festival (タイフェスティバル) on 9 and 10 May 2020 has been postponed this year, and the new date will be announced once it’s confirmed.

Aoi Matsuri

Aoi Matsuri (葵祭) is one of three biggest festivals in Kyoto along with Jidai Matsuri and Gion Matsuri. The festival is held on 15 May every year and includes a historical parade which has been held from Heian Period. However, the 2020 event has been cancelled to prevent the further spread of Coronavirus.

Sanja Matsuri

Tokyo’s greatest traditional festival, Sanja Matsuri (三社祭) is held annually for 3 days on the third weekend of May, however it was postponed this year due to COVID-19, and the new date is 16, 17, 18 October 2020.

Vietnam Festival 2020

Vietnam Festival (ベトナムフェスティバル) on 16 and 17 May 2020 has been postponed this year, and the new date will be announced once it’s confirmed.

GREENROOM FESTIVAL 2020

A popular misuc, art and film event, GREENROOM FESTIVAL is held in Yokohama anuually in May, however the 2020 event on 23 and 24 May has been postponed to autumn. The new date is 5 and 6 September 2020. (Official Website: https://greenroom.jp/)

Edogawa Fireworks Festival 2020

Edogawa Fireworks Festival (江戸川花火大会) is a co-sponsored event with Ichikawa Shimin Fireworks Festival which was scheduled to be held on 23 May 2020, but postponed to 24 October 2020.

Itabashi Fireworks Festival 2020

Itabashi Fireworks Festival (板橋花火大会) is one of the biggest fireworks displays in Tokyo. The 2020 event which was scheduled to be on 23 May has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus.

Adachi Fireworks Festival 2020

Adachi Fireworks Festival (足立の花火) was scheduled to be held on 30 May 2020, however the event is cancelled to prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus.

Sumo Grand Tournaments (Summer Basho)

The Sumo summer grand tournaments (大相撲夏場所) in Tokyo, which was originally scheduled to be in early May but delayed by 2 weeks (from 24 May to 7 June 2020) due to Coronavirus, is now confirmed to be cancelled as the nationwide state of emergency is extended to be until the end of May.

-June

Koto Fireworks Festival 2020

Koto Fireworks Festival (江東花火大会) was scheduled to be held on 6 June 2020, but cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Bunkyo Hydrangea Festival 2020

Taiwan Festival Tokyo 2020

Taiwan Festival Tokyo 2020 (台湾フェスティバル™TOKYO2020) on 18–21 June 2020 has been postponed this year, and the new date will be announced once it’s confirmed.

Kawaguchiko Herb Festival

Kawaguchiko Herb Festival (河口湖ハーブフェスティバル) is one of the most popular flower festivals in Japan, featuring charming lavender flowers by the lake on the foot of Mt Fuji from mid June to mid July. The event is cancelled this year due to Coronavirus.

-July

Mt Fuji Trails

The climbing season of Mt Fuji is from 1st July to mid September every year, but hiking trails in Yamanashi Prefecture (Yoshida Trail) and Shizuoka Prefecture (Subashiri, Gotemba and Fujinomiya Trails) will be closed this summer due to coronavirus.

Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival

One of the biggest summer festivals in Kanto area, Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri (湘南ひらつか七夕まつり), the Star Festival is held annually for 3 days in early July (3–5 July 2020). The festival has been cancelled this year due to the prevention of the coronavirus spread.

Sumida River Fireworks Festival 2020

Tokyo’s biggest fireworks festival, Sumida River Fireworks Festival (隅田川花火大会) displays over 20,000 fireworks launched in the sky for 90 mins. In 2020, the event on 11 July has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics

The postponement of Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games due to the Coronavirus was announced in late March this year, and the new dates are 23 July-8 August (Olympics) and 24 August-5 September (Paralympics) in 2021.

Gion Matsuri

Gion Matsuri (祇園祭) is one of the most famous traditional festivals in Japan. The festival takes place in Kyoto for the entire month in July, however the main ceremony is on 17 and 24 July. The cancellation of the main parade due to COVID-19 has been announced in mid April.

Tenjin Matsuri

Tenjin Matsuri (天神祭) is one of three greatest festivals of Japan along with Gion Matsuri in Kyoto and Kanda Matsuri in Tokyo, and it’s held on 24 and 25 July annually. The main events of the festival including the river boat procession and fireworks are cancelled in 2020 in order to prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus.

-August

Fuji Five Lakes Fireworks Festivals

Fuji Five Lakes Fireworks Festivals (富士五湖花火大会) are held annually for 5 days from 1 to 5 August around five lakes on the foot of Mt Fuji (Kawaguchiko, Yamanakako, Saiko, Shojiko and Motosuko), however, this year’s events are cancelled due to Coronavirus.

Nagaoka Fireworks Festival

Nagaoka Fireworks Festival (長岡まつり花火大会) is a 3-day summer festival featuring the spectacular fireworks display launching 20,000 for 2 nights on 2 and 3 August. Unfortunately, the event this year is cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Aomori Nebuta Festival

Aomori Nebuta Festival (青森ねぶた祭り) is one of the most famous summer festivals in Japan, held in Aomori for 6 days from 2 to 7 August. Nearly 3 million visitors came and enjoyed the event last year. However, the city decided to cancel the event in 2020 in order to prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus.

Sendai Tanabata Festival

Sendai Tanabata Festival (仙台七夕まつり) is the biggest Star Festival in Japan, attracting over 2 million visitors every year. The event in 2020 (6–8 August) is cancelled this year due to Coronavirus.

ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2020

One of the biggest music events in Japan, ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL (ロック･イン・ジャパン・フェスティバル) is held annually for 3 days in early August at Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki Prefecture. The event in 2020 was scheduled to be on 8, 9, 10 August 2020, however, it’s been cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Fukagawa Matsuri

Fukagawa Matsuri (深川祭) is one of three greatest Shinto festivals in Tokyo along with Sanno Matsuri and Kanda Matsuri. The festival is held annually, however the full-scale version is held only once in three years, which was due to be on 15 August 2020, but has been postponed to next year.

Fuji Rock Festival

The biggest outdoor music event in Japan, Fuji Rock Festival (フジロックフェスティバル)‘s 2020 edition was scheduled to be held on 21-23 August, however, the organization decided to cancelled the event due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This is the first time that the event was cancelled since it started in 1997.

Azabujuban Noryo Matsuri

Azabujuban Noryo Matsuri (麻布十番 納涼まつり) is a traditional summer festival held on the last weekend of August annually, featuring numbers of stalls serving traditional festival food and local delicacies. This year event is cancelled due to COVID-19.

-September

Tokyo Game Show2020

One of the largest video game exhibitions in the world, Tokyo Game Show (東京ゲームショウ) in 2020 (24-27 August) has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the organizer is planning to held the event online.

Asakusa Samba Carnival

The 39th Asakusa Samba Carnival (浅草サンバカーニバル) was scheduled to be held on 26 September 2020, however, it’s been postponed to next year to prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus.

For the places which are temporarily closed due to Coronavirus in Japan, please check this article:

-What to Do in Japan during the Coronavirus Shutdowns

Due to the Coronavrus, a large number of facilities and tourist attractions in Japan are closed temporarily, and we are all advised to stay home and refrain from outing in order to prevent the further spread of the virus. But we bet there are a lot of things that can entertain us while staying home.

If you are into Japanese culture or planning to visit Japan after the Coronavirus is over, I recommend you to check out this article, introducing various Japanese contents to enjoy at home 🙂